Casement windows employ a sash that swings open and closed about an upright axis along one vertical edge of the sash. Rotating operator assemblies for effecting that swinging motion have been available for many years in various forms. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,392,330 and 5,006,766 owned by the assignee of the present invention. Folding crank handles on such operator assemblies have also been commercially available for some time. However, such earlier arrangements have not been optimal with respect to aesthetics, ease of use, lack of interference with window treatments, reliability and other factors.
In addition, casement windows typically employ a locking mechanism including one or more locking locations on a vertical side of the sash opposite to the side containing the axis. One or more lock activation mechanisms are then provided on the user side of the window to engage the locking mechanisms and lock the sash in place so that it cannot be swung open. One embodiment of a casement sash locking mechanism is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,538, having the same assignee as the present invention, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Thus, motion of the window sash and locking of the sash normally require two distinct actions at two separate locations on the window.
There have been a number of attempts at combining the sash movement and locking functions as part of the window operator. These combined operators function so that initial rotation of the operator handle of a closed window unlocks the sash from the window frame and subsequent rotation causes the sash to open. Often, rotation of the handle in an opposite direction causes the sash to close and then subsequently lock. Other combined window operators use a folding handle that has been adapted to use the folding action as part of the locking mechanism.
Unfortunately, many of these prior designs fail to overcome problems with the window operators or introduce new problems not found in earlier and less complex designs. Accordingly, the present invention is provided to overcome these deficiencies in the prior art and to furnish additional benefits.